Planning Dept. must draft new ordinance
by Michael Clancy – Aug. 12, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
A committee established to recommend updates to Phoenix’s outdated billboard ordinance has disbanded, skipping its last scheduled meeting after the group took a pro-billboard stance in previous meetings.
Committee Chairman Jim Mapstead said the panel had covered the major issues, including the question of where billboards should be permitted. The matter is now with the Planning Department, which will draft a new billboard ordinance that should be ready by the end of August. Continue reading →
Today the Arizona Republic endorsed Councilman Bill Gates for his re-election to the City Council.
When a challenger begins a conversation by saying he agrees with the incumbent on every issue, the race is over. Bill Gates has earned re-election in north-central Phoenix. He’s led the council’s conversation on efficiency, helping to find $25 million in annual savings and is looking for more.
By Sadie Jo Smokey
The Arizona Republic
Two years ago, Bill Gates was one of 20 residents who applied to fill the District 3 council seat vacated by Maria Baier.
The City Council appointed Gates, and a few months later, residents elected Gates to complete the term…
…When Gates was elected, few in the community knew him. Over the past two years, he has worked to attract businesses to vacant strip malls in the district, which spans an area of Phoenix east of Interstate 17, generally between Bell Road and Dunlap Avenue.
He has promoted solar and other alternative energy. And he has held regular community meetings near the Moon Valley neighborhood, at the John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital, Paradise Valley Mall and the Shadow Mountain Senior Center
You are cordially invited
to attend a Continue reading →
Spending controversies mark transparency push
by Lynh Bui -
The Arizona Republic
Phoenix is developing a zero-based budgeting system for the 2012-13 fiscal year that would provide more details of what the city is spending money on and how the costs are justified. Continue reading →
Move aimed at keeping billboards, salvage yards out but does not carry force of law
by Michael Clancy
The Arizona Republic
Arizona 51 and Loop 101 in north Phoenix have been designated as scenic corridors, the first freeways on the city’s list of scenic roads. Continue reading →
I am proud that today the Phoenix City Council approved amendments to the Phoenix General Plan that established State Route 51 (SR-51) north of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and Loop 101 in Phoenix as scenic corridors. These corridors create 300-foot buffers on each side of these freeways that limit outdoor primary uses and billboards. Continue reading →
The reverse lanes on Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street were created in 1979 as a north/south traffic flow solution to help move residents and commuters to and from downtown Phoenix. Based on the Reverse Lanes Task Force recommendation the City Council approved retaining the reverse lanes in December 2010 along with safety enhancements.
The City Council approved safety-related changes to the reverse lanes last night, which included added enforcement during hours of operation (i.e. speed trailers and possibly photo enforcement), ongoing education, left hand turn opportunity at Camelback Road and 7th Avenue, and improved signage to include lights/beacons. Although I support most of these changes, I voted against this item as I have concerns with spending $4.8 million on lights/beacons and believe we can do without them. City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department studies have shown that the reverse lanes are as safe as other major arterial streets like 16th Street and 19th Avenue. In fact, even the Federal Highway Administration has said that the lanes are efficient because they reduce congestion and “thus are likely to reduce rear-end collisions.”
Adding the lights/beacons to last night’s vote was a surprise and disappointment to me since the Transportation, Sustainability, and Infrastructure Subcommittee had voted unanimously 3-0 on June 2, 2011 to remove the lights/beacons due to the high cost. Given our tight City budget situation, funding these lights/beacons will delay or cut other much needed streets capital improvement projects that my constituents and other Phoenix residents have been expecting over the years. Further, our streets capital projects budget was reduced $12 million this year by State reductions of Arizona Highway User Funds provided to cities.
The reverse lanes have been enjoyed safely by north central and central Phoenix users ever since 1979, including the Sunnyslope and Moon Valley areas in Council District 3. I look forward to hearing from Phoenix residents, visitors, and staff as to how these new safety enhancements are performing in order to ensure continued safety on our important reverse lanes.
Councilman Bill Gates represents Council District 3 in north Phoenix and includes the Sunnyslope, Moon Valley, and Paradise Valley Mall areas.
The intersection of Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road will get a left -turn signal, one of biggest changes drivers will see on Phoenix’s reverse lanes since they were installed more than 30 years ago.
The new left turn during reverse-lane hours is expected to be active by the end of August and is one of many changes the City Council approved Wednesday to the controversial lanes on Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue.
The city will monitor safety and traffic changes at Seventh Avenue and Camelback Road for a year to help determine if the left-turn signal should stay and if more left-turn signals should be added along the reverse lanes.
Councilman Tom Simplot, who has been fighting for years to remove the reverse lanes, said this is just a first step that could lead to more changes in the future…
…Councilman Bill Gates, who represents much of north Phoenix, was the only dissenting vote Wednesday. He said the city’s budget for construction projects was already stripped of $12 million by Arizona lawmakers trying to balance the state budget this year and that instead of spending nearly $5 million for lights and beacons along the reverse lanes, the city should save its money for neighborhood street projects that residents have been demanding for years.
Gates also said city studies and reviews by outside consultants have proven that the reverse lanes are no more dangerous than any other major street in Phoenix.
Read the entire article at: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2011/06/15/20110615phoenix-reverse-lanes.html#ixzz1PSF5Hk5G
by Lynh Bui – Jun. 9, 2011 11:09 AM
The Arizona Republic
PHOENIX – The City Council on Wednesday approved a tentative budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year on a 6-2 vote.
Mayor Phil Gordon and council members Bryan Jeffries, Michael Johnson, Michael Nowakowski, Tom Simplot and Thelda Williams all voted in favor of the more than $3 billion spending plan, of which $1.06 billion is set aside for the general fund.
Councilmen Sal DiCiccio and Bill Gates dissented. Councilman Claude Mattox was absent from the meeting.
Gates said he dissented because transparency in the city’s budgeting process needs to improve.
DiCiccio voted against the budget, saying he was opposed to nearly $30 million in merit pay raises and longevity bonuses built into the budget.
Read the entire article at: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2011/06/09/20110609phoenix-city-council-oks-tentative-budget.html#ixzz1OtBIPblb
